1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to wireless, portable communication devices for use with apparel.
2. Background
A variety of portable communication devices have been developed in response to consumer demand for increased mobility and convenience. Pagers and advanced messaging devices, for example, provide consumers with portable messaging capabilities. Some of these devices have additional built-in functionality, such as pager-to-pager messaging and pager-to-telephone messaging. They also offer a relatively long battery life and are relatively small. One shortcoming of these products, however, is that they typically must be carried (e.g., in a pocket or purse, or on a belt), causing some level of inconvenience when needing to access their display and/or control functions. They may also be inconvenient to carry and, while relatively small, can nevertheless be uncomfortably bulky when needing to be carried on a person (such as in a pocket or small purse, for example). Also, because of their size, and due to the fact that many consumers prefer to carry these types of communication products with them almost constantly, these products can be misplaced, lost or stolen rather easily.
Another disadvantage of pager and messaging devices is that they are generally limited in their functionality. For example, they typically only offer alphanumeric displays, with no voice communication capability. Since they tend to be self-contained, they are usually not expandable in terms of functionality.
Another type of wireless communication device is the cellular telephone, which allows full-duplex transmission (e.g. bi-directional voice communication) within the geographical area covered by a cellular system. However, cellular telephones have many of the same shortcomings as pager and messaging services. For example, cellular telephones, like pagers and messaging devices, must generally be carried on the person—e.g., in a pocket, purse, or on a belt. This may make it inconvenient when needing to access the device. Cellular telephones are usually even more bulky than pagers and messaging devices, and therefore can be even more uncomfortable to carry in a pocket, purse or belt, particularly if the user has none of these options available. Because cellular telephones are portable, and are carried around by some users almost constantly, they can also be easily misplaced, lost or stolen, like pages or messaging devices.
Also like pager and messaging devices, cellular telephones are typically self-contained and have limited or no expandability, in terms of adding functionality.
More advanced cellular-type telephones have recently been developed, which communicate via the global electronic data network, commonly known as the Internet. Such so-called “IP telephones” generally provide not only voice communication capabilities, but also provide at least some limited Internet access. IP telephony is an emerging field and, while offering the potential for increased functionality over traditional cellular telephones, nevertheless does not satisfactorily address the aforementioned drawbacks of traditional cellular telephones.
One attempt to provide increased functionality in a single unit, and perhaps to attempt to address some of the drawbacks of traditional portable communication devices, involves integrating a high-tier pager function into a wristwatch. Beepwear Paging Products (a joint effort of Motorola and Timex corporations), for example, commercially manufactures such a wristwatch-style pager. The pager/wristwatch portion of this device can be detached from the watchband and clipped to a belt. Further details about devices made by Beepwear Paging Products are presently available at the web site “www.beepwear.com”.
While providing the functions of both a wristwatch and pager in a single device, the Beepwear product nevertheless is limited in functionality. For example, it does not provide voice communication capabilities. Since it is entirely self-contained, the device's functionality is not expandable. In addition, while the pager/wristwatch portion of the Beepwear device is detachable, whether it is attached or removed from the wristband it is still subject to being lost or stolen, just like an ordinary wristwatch, belt-worn pager, or messaging device. Because of the incorporation of pager functionality, the pager/wristwatch portion is generally larger and heavier than a normal wrist-worn watch, which may make it less desirable for wearers who are interested in a less obtrusive device. The Beepwear device also might be viewed, at least by some, as aesthetically unattractive, or else limited from a fashion standpoint, since the device is currently provided in limited styles that will not necessarily appeal to a broad demographic market (e.g. men, women, children, teens, business people, sports, entertainment, etc.).
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a portable, wireless, communication apparatus that are lightweight and versatile, with a variety of available functions. It would further be advantageous to provide such an apparatus that is less prone to being misplaced, lost or stolen, is less bulky and provides increased options for enhancing fashionability and visual appeal. It would also be advantageous to provide a family of apparatuses that provide some or all of the aforementioned features, while further providing the possibility of expanding functionality and user options.